Hollyhock weevils are a pest that you should watch for. They feed on the foliage spreading rust. They lay their eggs so the larvea bore into the seeds and eat the embryos. Check the seeds you gather for tiny pin sized wholes along the outer edges. If you find evidence of them your seeds will probably give poor germination results.

Single pink flowers

single black-A. nigra

Double pink

Pods filled with ripe seeds. Seeds are in a ring or donut shape inside.

White single. These white hollyhocks were grown from seeds from hollyhocks which also came from seeds, but were filled red and pink.

One can see the spent flowers, and the seed pods growing on this white Alcea rosea

This is a semi-double black hollyhock.

Black Hollyhock (Alathea rosea var Nigra) - June 2002.

When the seedpod is opened, the seeds are in a ring around the centre, quite tightly packed. In each pod, there can be between 30 - 50 seeds.

White single

White single

Seedpod Dubai UAE zone 11 3/2003

Dubai UAE zone 11

Ripe Seedpod Dubai UAE zone 11
March 2003

Unfortunately, the beetles got to the leaves this year.

I adore hollyhocks and make sure I have some every summer! If I find seedlings in my lawn, I just let them grow there, too, and mow around them. This is my favorite color, but have NO idea what the official variety is! I'd like to find some near-black ones for next year!

A close-up of Hollyhock flowers.

As you can see, these Hollyhocks grew well above the roof line of the house.

This is a red single HollyHock, I bought it at a nursury last fall and it was labled as Ruby Red. It has soared to almost 12 feet and is still going.... pretty color.

From a 6 foot stalk, pink flowers, collected in April, zone 9a/9b

seeds

I started these from seed last year. These are my first blooms.

These traditional Hollyhocks adorn a 19th Century Privy

Pink watermelon colored, zone 9b, mid April, Springtime

Speckled leaves, zone 9b, mid April, Sringtime

Bright red, zone 9b, mid April, springtime

Zone 9b, Mid April, springtime

A hairy stem, zone 9b, mid April, springtime

Buds in springtime, mid April, zone 9b

Deep red bloom, late April, springtime, zone 9b

Mid April, springtime, zone 9b

Buds in late April, zone 9b, springtime

Late April, zone 9b, springtime

About eight feet tall, in zone 9b, springtime, late April

New half inch leaves of a seedling in early spring, early-mid March, zone 9b